Electronic Waste and Mineral Extraction: Environmental and Social Concerns
Electronic Waste Recycling
- Over 25 metals, including gold, silver, and palladium, are hidden in electronic waste.
- In Australia, scrappers remove valuable metals from old electronics, but face challenges like mercury poisoning and proper disposal.
- In developing countries, e-waste recycling is often unregulated, posing environmental and health risks to scavengers.
- Mint Innovation, a startup, uses bacteria and fungi to extract metals like copper, silver, and gold from circuit boards in a safer and more environmentally friendly way.
Lithium Mining
- In Chile’s Atacama Desert, companies extract lithium from brine, using massive amounts of fresh water, sparking concerns about water contamination and depletion.
- Local indigenous communities are skeptical about the promises of job creation and economic growth from the lithium industry due to past disappointments and environmental concerns.
- In Bolivia, communities are worried about the impact of lithium mining on their water supply and the lack of transparency in agreements.
Silver Mining
- In Bolivia, miners search for silver in the mountain of Cerro Rico, using simple tools and dynamite, despite the dangers of high fatality rates and silicosis.
- Corporate miners reap the benefits of mining, while hiring day laborers who don’t receive benefits, only a daily wage as low as $1.
- Decades of excavation have destabilized the Cerro Rico mountain, making it increasingly dangerous for miners.
Graphite Mining
- In Sri Lanka, graphite mining is a significant source of income, with the Kataga graphite mine producing nearly 800 tons a year.
- Sri Lanka has a unique opportunity to capitalize on its natural graphite reserves, which could be used to manufacture lithium-ion batteries.
Mica Mining
- In Madagascar, thousands of miners, including children, toil in hazardous conditions to extract Mica, earning meager wages and facing health risks.
- Nonprofits are trying to empower these families by providing education and better healthcare, and creating a responsible international supply chain to eliminate child labor.
Tin Mining
- In Indonesia, illegal tin miners free dive to collect tin from the ocean floor, often in hazardous conditions, to feed their families.
- Despite the risks, they earn only $13 a day, and many accidents go unreported.
- The environmental impact is also devastating, with toxic lakes and damaged coral reefs affecting local fishermen.
Cobalt Mining
- In the Democratic Republic of Congo, thousands of artisanal miners work in hazardous conditions to extract cobalt, facing challenges like child labor and human rights abuses.
- Large industrial mining operations have also been criticized for displacing residents and causing environmental damage.
- The cobalt mined in the DRC ends up in China, contributing to the country’s electric vehicle boom, but the mining industry has failed to benefit the Congolese people.
Copper Mining
- In the Democratic Republic of Congo, tens of thousands of artisanal miners toil for $3.50 a day to extract copper at an open pit site.
- Despite copper prices nearing all-time highs, the miners spend 12 hours a day sifting through rocks to fill their bags with raw copper.
- The DRC government has a $6 billion deal with Chinese state-owned firms to jointly run copper and cobalt mines, but critics accuse China of not fulfilling its infrastructure upgrade pledges, sparking suspicions of corruption and lack of transparency.
| Term | Definition | Example Usage |
|---|---|---|
| E-waste | Electronic waste, or e-waste, refers to discarded electronic devices and equipment. | In Australia, scrappers remove valuable metals from old electronics, but face challenges like mercury poisoning and proper disposal. |
| Lithium mining | Lithium mining is the extraction of lithium from brine or hard rock deposits. | In Chile’s Atacama Desert, companies extract lithium from brine, using massive amounts of fresh water, sparking concerns about water contamination and depletion. |
| Artisanal mining | Artisanal mining refers to small-scale, often informal, mining operations. | In the Democratic Republic of Congo, thousands of artisanal miners work in hazardous conditions to extract cobalt, facing challenges like child labor and human rights abuses. |
| Bacteria-assisted mining | Bacteria-assisted mining uses microorganisms to extract metals from ores and waste materials. | Mint Innovation, a startup, uses bacteria and fungi to extract metals like copper, silver, and gold from circuit boards in a safer and more environmentally friendly way. |
| Brine | Brine is a solution of water and dissolved minerals, often used in lithium mining. | In Chile’s Atacama Desert, companies extract lithium from brine, using massive amounts of fresh water, sparking concerns about water contamination and depletion. |
| Cerro Rico | Cerro Rico is a mountain in Bolivia known for its rich silver deposits. | In Bolivia, miners search for silver in the mountain of Cerro Rico, using simple tools and dynamite, despite the dangers of high fatality rates and silicosis. |
| Graphite mining | Graphite mining is the extraction of graphite from natural deposits. | In Sri Lanka, graphite mining is a significant source of income, with the Kataga graphite mine producing nearly 800 tons a year. |
| Mica mining | Mica mining is the extraction of mica, a mineral used in cosmetics and electronics. | In Madagascar, thousands of miners, including children, toil in hazardous conditions to extract Mica, earning meager wages and facing health risks. |
| Tin mining | Tin mining is the extraction of tin from natural deposits. | In Indonesia, illegal tin miners free dive to collect tin from the ocean floor, often in hazardous conditions, to feed their families. |
| Cobalt mining | Cobalt mining is the extraction of cobalt from natural deposits. | In the Democratic Republic of Congo, thousands of artisanal miners work in hazardous conditions to extract cobalt, facing challenges like child labor and human rights abuses. |
Vocabulary Quiz: Electronic Waste and Mineral Extraction
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What does the word “unregulated” mean in the context of e-waste recycling?
- A) strictly controlled by laws and regulations
- B) not controlled by laws and regulations
- C) only allowed in developed countries
- D) only allowed in developing countries
-
What is “silicosis” mentioned in the context of silver mining?
- A) a type of lung disease
- B) a type of skin disease
- C) a type of eye disease
- D) a type of heart disease
-
What does the phrase “capitalize on” mean in the context of Sri Lanka’s graphite reserves?
- A) to waste an opportunity
- B) to take advantage of an opportunity
- C) to give up an opportunity
- D) to ignore an opportunity
-
What does the word “meager” mean in the context of the wages earned by miners in Madagascar?
- A) very large
- B) very small
- C) very fair
- D) very unfair
-
What does the phrase “displacing residents” mean in the context of industrial mining operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo?
- A) forcing people to move away from their homes
- B) allowing people to stay in their homes
- C) building new homes for people
- D) providing jobs for people
Answer Key
- B) not controlled by laws and regulations
- A) a type of lung disease
- B) to take advantage of an opportunity
- B) very small
- A) forcing people to move away from their homes
The Use of Passive Voice in Reporting
| In reporting, the passive voice is often used to focus on the action rather than the doer of the action. This can create a sense of objectivity and neutrality, which is important in reporting. The passive voice can also be used to avoid mentioning the doer of the action, which can be useful when the doer is not known or is not important. In the provided text, the passive voice is used in sentences such as “Companies extract lithium from brine…”, “Thousands of miners, including children, toil in hazardous conditions to extract Mica…”, and “The environmental impact is also devastating, with toxic lakes and damaged coral reefs affecting local fishermen.” |
|---|
1. The startup uses bacteria and fungi to extract metals like copper, silver, and gold from circuit boards.
2. In Australia, scrappers remove valuable metals from old electronics.
3. The cobalt mined in the DRC ends up in China, contributing to the country’s electric vehicle boom.
4. Decades of excavation have destabilized the Cerro Rico mountain, making it increasingly dangerous for miners. Which of the following sentences does NOT use the passive voice?
1. Local indigenous communities are skeptical about the promises of job creation and economic growth from the lithium industry.
2. In Chile’s Atacama Desert, companies extract lithium from brine, using massive amounts of fresh water.
3. The environmental impact is also devastating, with toxic lakes and damaged coral reefs affecting local fishermen.
4. Mint Innovation, a startup, is using bacteria and fungi to extract metals like copper, silver, and gold from circuit boards. What is the effect of using the passive voice in reporting?
1. It creates a sense of subjectivity and bias.
2. It focuses on the doer of the action rather than the action itself.
3. It creates a sense of objectivity and neutrality.
4. It makes the text more engaging and interesting. Which of the following sentences uses the passive voice to avoid mentioning the doer of the action?
1. The DRC government has a $6 billion deal with Chinese state-owned firms to jointly run copper and cobalt mines.
2. In Bolivia, communities are worried about the impact of lithium mining on their water supply and the lack of transparency in agreements.
3. The environmental impact is also devastating, with toxic lakes and damaged coral reefs affecting local fishermen.
4. Corporate miners reap the benefits of mining, while hiring day laborers who don’t receive benefits. Why is the passive voice useful in reporting?
1. It makes the text more engaging and interesting.
2. It creates a sense of subjectivity and bias.
3. It allows the writer to avoid mentioning the doer of the action.
4. It focuses on the doer of the action rather than the action itself.
Answer Key: 1. 3 2. 1 3. 3 4. 3 5. 3
